While traveling through an oil well pump system, particulates, such as sand and fines, become entrained with oil and forced out of a rod pump plunger. These particulates are known to settle around the plunger and barrel seal area, thereby resulting in cutting, sticking, and galling of the plunger and barrel seal area. Particulates that settle around the plunger are also known to cause rod pump valves to detrimentally remain open or closed. As such, the upper end of the plunger is a critical component used to prevent particulates from causing failure in a rod pump system. Due to the aforementioned problems, particulates are required to be removed from around the plunger and barrel seal area. Consequently, oil well pump production is often interrupted so that particulates may be removed in order to resume successful production of the oil well pump system. Based on the foregoing, there is a great need to overcome the aforementioned problems of clogged plungers that result from a build-up of particulates.